Being, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands in metal, South Carolina’s Lecherous Nocturne have returned with the release of Behold Almighty Doctrine. It has been five years since the release of their last album, The Age of Miracles Has Passed, and it is clearly evident that the band has progressed in that span of time. The biggest change to me is in the vocals since former vocalist, Jason Hohenstein, was replaced by former member, Chris Lollis. Both vocalists have different styles with Hohenstein have a more raw, old school sound compared to Lollis’ stronger and profound screams. Nonetheless, I found that Lollis’ vocals perfectly complimented the shredding guitar work of Krieshloff Lofgren and Ethan Lane which ultimately puts this album in my top ten releases of this year.

Starting after the intro with Ourboros Chains, my first impression was that I was listening to a different band entirely. I didn’t think Lecherous Nocturne could possibly sound any heavier than they already do, but they proved me wrong by adding extra helpings of heaviness to every song on this album. The band has such a unique playing and writing style, however, which I feel makes them stand out from the rest of the more modern death metal bands today. They basically did a phenomenal job at using other bands as influences rather than trying to carbon copy them, and this is probably the reason why they are so underrated.

One song on this album that stood out to me was Those Having Been Hidden Away only because of the intro. It was one of those intros that really just get you into the song just from starting out so strong, and that feeling continued through the rest of the song until the end when they finish wish a breakdown. An actual breakdown, mind you, and not the typical deathcore breakdowns which are completely unnecessary for the song. I also love the instrument that follow, Prelude #2, which is then followed by Judgments and Curses. I feel the that three instrumental tracks on this album compliment the rest of the tracks, which are all under 4 minutes in length, and keeps the album short, sweet, and to the point.

Again, this is definitely in my top ten metal albums of 2013. Lecherous Nocturne has never disappointed me with their music despite various lineup changes and progression seen throughout the band. Everyone should listen to this album at least once or maybe a thousand times. This band definitely deserves more recognition for their amazing talent and I hope nothing but good things for them in the future.